17 Years with Clyde

In honor of our 17th anniversary today, I'd like to share 17 ways Clyde has changed since we've been married.  Here goes:

• He's gotten to vaguely know the names of some of my plants.  So when I say, "My heliotrope is doing so well, did you notice it?"  He doesn't give me a total blank stare but actually kind of looks in the right direction.  
• He appreciates the thread count on sheets.  Not too long ago he actually said "These sheets do not feel like 600 thread count."  He didn't even know thread count existed before we got married, in fact I think he had a sleeping bag on his bed.  Which leads me to:
• He knows what a duvet cover is and can discuss the pros and cons of it.  Pro, it's easy to wash.  Con, it's hard to lay it out so it's not all bunched up.
• Mango Salsa, he knows what it is and offers suggestions for using it.  "You know what would really be good on these fish tacos?  Mango salsa"  and by golly he was right.
• Also, offers suggestions on baking.  "You know what you should do for those Banana Butterscotch Muffins?  You should put more butterscotch chips on the bottom."  I don't actually try all his suggestions but still he's engaged in the process. :)
• He can relax on vacation now.  When we first were married and went on vacation, he'd drive me CRAZY and be ready to go home after 3 or 4 days, but know he actually relaxes and will enjoy our down time.
• He appreciates my photography, even when I'm driving him crazy..."okay, just one more...hold it, hold it, hold it....look at the camera...one, two, three..." So, when you see pictures that are more of a grimace than a smile, you know why.  Haha!  (It's not really that bad.)  Also, related to photography he now says "You're going to have a photo op in about 10 minutes if you come out here."  Or "If you swing by the job we're doing this so come take a picture." And he even takes pics for me too.  
• He appreciates my baking.  To be fair, he probably has appreciated it since the day we first got married but now he's actively concerned about the well being of my Kitchen Aid mixer.  Several times, he has suggested that I buy another one just to have on standby in case the stand mixer I've had for 17 years stops working for some reason and he misses out on baked goodies.
• He knows I'm a little bit neurotic about our animals and reacts accordingly.  If I'm gone for some reason and he's in charge of the animals, the conversation is:  "Yes, the dogs are in the house.  Yes, they've been outside and come back in.  Yes, the cats have food.  I think they're all still alive."  Okay, maybe he rolls his eyes but still...
• He knows I'm squeamish and have a low thresh hold for anything bloody or gory so if its on TV he's a pro at "close your eyes!  Okay, you can look now."  Also, during hunting season, if I check on them in the shop, "You might not want to come in here right now.  Okay, now it's alright just don't look over on that side of the shop."
• Scentsy, he knows what it is and offers suggestions.  Once we were in a rental house for a weekend by the water and he said "You should have brought your scentsy stuff for the house, it's kind of musty in here."
• Also, Le Creuset.  He appreciates my love for that stuff.  Probably because it relates to cooking and the end result is food he gets to eat.  
• Some goes for Thirty One bags.  I love those, all the love the organization stuff, the thermal bags, etc.  He has even requested, "You know I could use another 31 bag for my shooting stuff.  That way I can just take it all down to the shooting bench when I need to."
• Landscaping.  He doesn't roll his eyes near as much as he used to when I say "You know I was thinking, next time you have an excavator here, can you pull out these bushes (or trees or shrubs) and transplant them over there?"
• He actually went to a poetry reading with me.  It was at the nearby bar and we rode the quad there but still it involved poetry so he gets points for it.
•  He's gotten really good at going to art galleries, craft fairs, or stuff like that with me, especially if we're traveling.  Mainly so he can get ideas on things to build but also, if I see something or bring him a picture and say "Can you make me that?"  he likes to do it,  Sometimes the scale may be off.  Once I took a picture of a metal basket that was 4" x 6" ish in size and the one he made was 10" x14" ish in size, so I've also learned to give him dimensions as well as a picture.
• He shows his love for me.  Whether it's writing "I LOVE YOU" in q-tips on the bathroom counter, pressure washing our initials in the dirt on the patio, or bringing me heart shaped rocks that he finds in the rock pit, he shows that he loves me.  :)